please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Nicely situated by the river where most of the customers sit on the summer days.The road the pub is on has been painted blue for some reason and despite the regeneration going on around the area many old buildings still stand in this road
Has the usual local real ales.It doesn’t open Monday or Tuesday but as they’re charging £6.50 for a pint I suppose they can afford to open less frequently
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Hidden away down a street leading to the river, a cosy locals' pub doing several Fullers and Gales beers. Worth making the detour for.
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Very hidden away (have only just discovered it 10 years despite living a few miles away), this unpretentious local is friendly and comfortable and one of several excellent Brentford pubs. Quirky art on the walls, pool table.
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A west Londoner by birth, I regret that the traditional pubs of my youth have been replaced with posh dining rooms full of bankers and lawyers in their smart smart casual outfits, walls painted with identikit Farrow and Ball heritage colours and oh so fashionable these days 'real ales'. So it was with great pleasure that I discovered this boozer down a pitch black semi light industrial cul de sac in Brentford one rainy evening. As I approached I was drawn closer by a lady jazz singer's voice carried on the breeze. I knew I had come to the right place by the old fashioned latch on the ledge and brace door. Inside a claustrophobic atmosphere of men and women drinking bitter, beards, music and fun. Real people, all who look like they live on boats or drive steam engines but don't; who seem to know each other and have real smiles and conversation for a weary traveller. This is a proper pub with excellent service, well kept English beer, and the most idiosyncratic clientel ever. Most evenings one can be entertained with live traditional music, Friday is an open mic night presented excellently by Messrs Johnny Ball and John Coverdale. A second room at the rear more like your living room than a pub and a sports bar with pool, darts and quiz machine. Its worth mentioning that the landlord, Tom provides excellent friendly service, refills your empty glass as soon as you put it on the bar and talks to you like he cares about what you are saying. So if you are looking for a pub co with a different landlord each week and staff who look like they don't want to be there then this probably isn't the place for you, but if you want a real pub then you have my recommendation.
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I paid a return visit to this pub the other day,and the lump of shit was still in the pan!-very nasty!!
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dont take any notice of bees4evva reports as he has posted similar reviews on many pubs locally.
the Brewery Tap is a fine traditioal pub serving well kept ales.
music on most nights, the free jazz on tues & thurs is very good.
colmc - 22 May 2013 13:01 |
I went to the toilet in this pub,and there was a lump of shit in the pan-nasty!
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Love this pub! Granted I am biased but its hard to find a pub today with the mix of traditional pub atmosphere, fantastic music nights, great ales and excellent food. I found it and put my money where my mouth is!
You need to keep an eye on this pub over the next couple of months as it undergoes a refurb that will pep up its tired look but not head in the direction of every other pub being refurbed!
Pub 'friendliness' issues will be addressed - although the previous reviewers comments were not worded correctly in todays PC world!
Alot of small changes are coming but we aim to keep the same great atmosphere and hope to enhance it!
Hopefully see you soon!
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Visited here given the previous posting of new management. I've been here before long ago, enjoyed the music and 'local' feel. Nothings changed... the beer is still good. I had a pint of Seafarer my bud had a pint of Butcombe (must have been a guest ale ?). Glasses a little water marked but poured well. Slight to much head for my liking. Live music was great. Two negatives... the air freshener from the toilets can be smelt throughout the bar, quite off putting, it's far to strong. The barman (or landlord maybe ?) is clearly gay. I'm not anti-gay but I don't like being called 'love' and having my arm squeezed by the bloke that's served my beer. He appeared to have have a few to many beers himself... not sure what is going on here. I rate this only a 5 as the over friendliness gave me the creeps.
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And so it came to pass that the MacFarlanes finally escaped to the West, leaving behind decades of goodwill. Under new management, The Tap now looks to the future. After almost a month the Sandman breaks cover to pass judgement. Is there a future? Will the spirit of the local pub continue down Catherine Wheel Road, in an enclave reserved for those in the know? Have the lightbulbs been changed? Will Fingers still be there on a Saturday night with his inimitable "Name That Tune" competition?
Will things carry on in the spirit they always have?
Is everything all right?
Sandman says yes...
It's okay. Go.
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OK pub. Fullers in good condition.
For a place that is not particularly busy, service is on the slow side.
Magpie and Crown is a better bet.
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a bit of a gem really.
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A whole seven years since I first reviewed the Brewery Tap, it sill remains by quite some considerable way my favourite pub in the area and is consistently the best pub in Brentford. Food, music, quizzes and lively banter are still as good as ever and I would still recommend it to anyone passing through West London who might be lamenting the loss of so many other traditional welcoming boozers. Also, please ask the barmaids about the pickled eggs. They may claim that they don't have any in stock and that they can't get them out of the jar due to a rare but fatal pickle intolerance, but they're lying. The cellar is full of them.
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I love the Tap! Contrary to previous review, I find it very friendly. The live music yesterday attracted a mixed group of all ages. They serve a cracking pint of ale and, unlike the Magpie and Crown, the Tap is dog-friendly.
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Been there once, never ever again. Full of oldies with no intention of making conversation, light or otherwise. Got the distinct impression we were unwelcome. If the owners of this flop house want to cater specifically to sullen old codgers and do without my money fair enough. Won't be going back, and as for the brass brand- more piss pot alley than Tin Pan alley.
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Fullers house in a pleasant location by the river. It's at the end of the road. You think you've entered an industrial estate. But perservere and you'll find it. The first thing that struck me was the age of the clientele. It's not very often these days that I feel like the youngest person in a pub. This was vaguely reminiscent of an old peoples' home. A 6-piece brass band was playing in the main bar, entertaining folk. Another smaller bar to the side contains a pool table plus a Thierry Henry Arsenal football shirt and a couple of tables. We eventually retreated to the another small room at the rear of the main bar where there were a few more tables and from where you could also access a rear patio. The pub had sold out of at least 2 ales before yesterday's football match at Griffin Park. So the Pride clip and one other were turned round. Choice was restricted to Red Fox, Chiswick and Seafarers Ale. A good range of pub grub was listed on a blackboard. Service was efficient and friendly. A cosy enough pub that's obviously much loved by its regulars. It didn't quite tick all the boxes for me though.
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Without a doubt the best pub in Brentford. Friendly staff and locals, good beer, great music most nights of the week, without loud piped music or tv screens, except one for sport in the bar area, great sunday lunches. Can't fault it, a real gem.
Bee70 - 26 Aug 2010 14:07 |
The Brewery Tap of a long defunct brewery now a Fuller's house stocking pretty much their full range (in fact more of a Fuller's brewery tap than the Mawsons/Fox & Hounds). Three distinct areas - pool room to left as you go in, main bar area and quieter part at the back where there is also a patio for those of us who occassionally desire to poison our lungs. Had a top pint of Gale's HSB.
anonymous - 21 Apr 2010 18:12 |
It recently came to light that the gents bog in The Brewery Tap is haunted by the ghost of Glenn Miller. Fact!
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Lovely pub; nice atmosphere and live music, great for a sing-along!
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Amazing pub, have never felt so warm and welcome anywhere before.
1.) There is an amazing cook in the kitchen bringing traditional food at a high quality to the table. Great tasting and even better priced.
2.) A lovely landlord, always helpfull and offering a variety of drinks plus a warm atmosphere to fit everone.
3.) Someting which is always a pleasant thing to have at a pub and that is good looking barstaff! A very good looking, kind hearted barman with a vast knowledge of sports. With great ability to mulit-task and handle long drink orders.
*A great family run pub, would very much recommend to vist*
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great pub in an unpreposessing setting. good selection of fuller's finest and a lovely georgian bar maid.
and if you get the seat at the end of the bar you can watch the footy scores on the telly without straying too far.
will definitely be back.
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WOW! we have just moved into the area and have been to most of the local boozers,which all have their charm, however the Tap is amazing, live music almost every night which seems to be a sort of jam session based on a loose theme! I'd recommend big mac and the small fries if your into blues/skiffle! also worth mentioning the ale, all good, seafarer for a session and the Chiswick is bang on. The locals made us feel welcome as have the landlord. not into football but there is a room at the side with a screen and pool table, which doesn't interfear with the music or conversation. can't recommend this proper pub highly enough.
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This is a small Fuller�s pub tucked away down a side street off Brentford High St. It had the full range of Fuller�s on (Pride, Discovery, ESB, Chiswick and Gale�s Seafarer) when I was in during last week. I had the Chiswick, which was excellent and at a decent price of �2.60 a pint. It seemed solely a locals� pub mid afternoon on a Tuesday; it�s hard to imagine that it would get much passing trade as it�s somewhat off the beaten track. This is a simple backstreet boozer with apparently no aspirations to be anything else. I rather liked its quiet, music-free, laid back atmosphere. It helps if you like Fuller�s ales of course. I�ll definitely pay a return visit when I�m next in the area. In my view it�s certainly worth the effort of finding.
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Very pleasant two room pub set just off the main high street in Brentford. Has all your Fullers favourites on offer and having sampled the Pride, I can testify to the good quality. Service was prompt, despite it being packed in the run up to the football. The main room has a decent amount of seating, whilst the side room is dominated by a pool table, and has it's own little strech of bar and a couple of large screens.
However, if it's a cheap pint you're after, you'd be best off elsewhere.
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Perfectly pleasant Fullers local down a side turn off the High St. At first it doesn't look too promising as you pass industrial units but don't be fooled. A good range of Fullers ales on offer, including the new Hock, a very drinkable dark mild. I didn't see any guest beer though.
You are very close to the river and Grand Union canal here, hence the series of steps up to the entrance as a precaution against flooding.
Posters on the wall inside indicate the pub is an occasional music venue.
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The Brewery Tap is a fine small traditional pub, hidden away off the High Street close to the Grand Union canal.
Offers jazz several evenings a week, including weekends.
Currently offering Ossett Black Bull as a guest beer, following Fullers trading tie-up with that brewery, presumably.
Worth seeking out, but yes, its pricey, I'm afraid
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Decentish pub and mix of punters, but pricy for drinks and agree a pretty grumpy barman, so knocks it down to 6/10
mps77 - 28 Jan 2009 12:56 |
I agree with nickthefish - "best pub in Brentford".
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Popped in here a few weeks back for a bite to eat at lunch time. A gorgeous home cooked lunch and a lovely pint of well presented Fullers' Chiswock were good value for money. The landlord seemed a bit of a grumpy bugger though and not very helpful...
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A good, honest pub with excellent atmosphere. Excellent range of Fullers real ales (four when I went in last Tuesday) and usually a guest ale too. Friendly staff and regulars. Yes, drinks are a bit on the pricey side but food definitely is NOT - very reasonable.
Well worth a visit and, in my opinion, worth paying the extra for the ale as it is so damn fine!
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Best pub in Brentford.
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The Monday night* pub quiz (starts 9pm, entry �1, winning team takes all, Guv'nor's tenner for randomly selected runners-up) is now a hotbed of loudly-voiced petty rivalries, sarcasm and bad sportsmanship. Grudges that have festered for decades rise to the surface, foolish answers are mercilessly derided and only the firm hand of Laura the barmaid (and the quizmaster's glamorous assistant) stops things spilling out onto the street and into the canal.
Unmissable.
*First Monday of the month is a music quiz. Slightly more refined behaviour is the norm.
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A nice pub but very pricey.
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best pub in brentford, just a bit on the small side
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This is a pretty small pub with outside seating to the front and rear. It wasn�t that busy inside, but I still had trouble finding a seat and ended up sitting next to the only diners. The food looks very mediocre, but I�ve never been one to go to a pub to eat so I can�t really comment as it may taste fantastic.
Discovery, Pride and Chiswick were available alongside Fosters, Grolsch and Carling. Not the most inspiring range, but this pub does not pretend to be anything other than a proper boozer.
What this pub lacks in size the governor makes up for in hospitality. Cheerful, polite and generally pleasant, it�s a shame all publicans aren�t like him.
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Characterful pub, but you'll be disappointed if you believe this site's description of it as having a 'riverside location' - it hasn't! It's a small pub down a side-street in the middle of an area of old industrial buildings. The pub is small with wooden walls and floor, with a limited amount of seating outside overlooking the grim buildings and road. Staff and locals seem friendly.
When we were there, on a Sunday evening, there was a four-piece band playing - mostly bland favourites from the seventies - they weren't bad (for free!) but in such a small bar area they were far too loud, making it difficult to talk. We weren't the only ones who moved on after just one pint becasue of this.
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Impressive old school boozer. Will return; soon hopefully.
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Now you're talking - this is about as close as you'll get to a piece of Middlesex pub history. Public, saloon and snugs still there, and I not had a better pint of Pride anywhere.
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Came in here with some Lincoln fans before the match; well kept Fullers including seasonal beers - and a Guest Beer - Tom Woods put on specially for the visiting fans. Well Done!
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Very lively pub, when I go anyway! Older crowd, beer is well kept. Live music good, everybody seems to join in!
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Hi Tylenchus,
Just to let you know that the dart board does get used from time to time (there's even a spot light that lights the board).
The table is just put there from time to time as it's moved out of other areas of the pub to make way for bands or quizes etc.
If you ask Brian (the Govenor) nicely or any of the staff I'm sure they will set the darts up for you and move the table etc. The only time it may be difficult to play darts may be when people are using the Pool table (as the room isn't the largest of rooms)
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Recently in here for a quick pint in the afternoon and it certainly seems to fall into the category reserved for quiet traditional pubs with good beer and plenty of character. Noticed a dart board (good sign) with a table in front of it (bad sign). Does anyone know if this board get used much or what the response to asking to use it might be? The fact that a board isn't listed here but a pool table is leaves me wondering if it's ornamental.
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I love this pub even if the lanlord is a Gooner, ne's a nice bloke actually, it is a proper pub with decent Fullers beer with a bloke on the piano, there is a small side bar with a pool table & an even smaller bar at the back, but it's friendly & i liked it so much last time i missed my last bus so the Lanlord called me a cab, which was nice as iv'e been called a lot worse !!
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Saturday night- old geezer playing the joanna - no frills and NO ESB IN A FULLERS PUB !!! A time warp. Definightly a place to go if you want to get away from the trials and tribulations of life. Music and quizzes seem to be the in thing but only if your over the age of 55 cos' if you're young you ain't gonna like it - food available apparently during the day. All in all a little gem in the back waters of Brentford. Also, a guest ale in a Fullers pub - rather unusual.
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A real pub with no frills,good beer and great pub grub. Well done to landlord and staff. More pubs like this needed.
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Excellent real ale pub I visited recently. Landlord was kind and helpful and the regulars more than accomodating of us non-locals pitching up. Nice atmosphere and gently away from the beaten track of townie pubs. Beer is good and the food fine with music in the evenings on some nights. I recommend it, well worth a visit.
Mcloj - 29 Jan 2007 13:03 |
They know how to keep a decent pint here. If you like your ale and appreciate music, particularly the jazz on Thursdays, then you should try it out. I've also lunched here and will do again.
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Much better than the Magpie and Crown.
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Nice traditional little pub, well worth visiting. Butcombe Bitter was on a guest beer when visited last Sunday
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Nice little pub that you'd never find by chance, because it's down a back street in an industrial area. That may explain why there were loads of seats on a Saturday night, and we arrived unannounced but got the whole back room to ourselves! Selection of Fullers beers and lots of lunchtime food options listed on the wall (though we didn't try them).
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Live music on Tuesday evenings is a delight as is the beer they serve. Friendly and full of characters. Easy parking to.
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Essentially a "nice little pub" tucked away in a narrow road just off the High Street, serving Fuller's beers in excellent condition. I was disappointed never to find any of the recent range of Fuller's Spring Seasonal beers - perhaps they only had a limited supply and I was unlucky to be there on the wrong days - but �2.73 for a pint of the very bland new Fuller's Discovery is far too expensive. Certainly worth seeking out ahead of the many other Fuller's pubs if you're in the area, but you'll find greater variety and better value at the nearby Magpie & Crown.
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The 'pretty Ukrainian barmaid' is also my wife, so you can all put your eyes back into their eye sockets and concentrate on the beer instead!!! I play in one of the jazz bands that play at this pub so I hope I'm not at the bottom end of the 'varying quality' that is referred to on a previous post!!!
Having mentioned the beer I should say that it is excellent (they currently have a mini spring Beer festival - meaning that they are serving Fuller's: London Porter, India Pale Ale and Hock over the coming weeks)
This is in my opinion the best pub in Brentford (and it is up against some serious competition....as well as some not so serious competition). If you don't believe me then come down and give it a go. The staff and locals are friendly and will make you feel welcome.
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A previous message is inaccurate. The "very pretty Polish barmaid" is actually a very pretty Ukrainian barmaid. The pub, beer, food and staff are excellent.
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A splendid old-fashioned pub, with no pretension. Well kept beer, a wide variety of food; live music of varying quality (the Saturday evening pianist, Fingers, is a living legend: Well, we think he's living); quiz night on Mondays.
Staff generally friendly. Pork scratchings.
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What a great little place!
Despite the live jazz (uck), the staff were most friendly and the ale really top-notch. Very pretty Polish barmaid - yum!
Will definitely return.
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Pour two pints at the same time??? I say ...
anonymous - 21 Feb 2005 14:23 |
Let me correct my earlier comment. There is nothing wrong with bar staff not being English. I am impressed by the non-English staff, particularly the Ukranian lovely who can pour two pints at the same time. Edith is lovely too. Better to sign off now before I get into more trouble!
BillS - 18 Feb 2005 16:21 |
This is a great old fashioned pub, probably at it's best under the current landlord. OK he whistles but he knows how to look after his beer,it's always good and the food is great. Friendly staff, not all are English!
BillS - 18 Feb 2005 10:54 |
I agree with other comments posted, however there is one really anoying thing about this fine Fuller's pub. The landlord, he is a whistler with a short attention span. So if you want a quiet read or wish to concentrate on a crossword, etc this may not be the pub to choose unless you like listening to 10-15 second snatches of tunes. Beer is great though.
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The beer is fantastic - well kept, and the full range from Fullers. Yes, it is at the higher end of what you might expect to spend on a pint, but no different to most of the pubs around west london. You might find cheaper - say in some ghastly hell hole sports bar full of teenagers - but you won't find better. There's a nice bunch of customers at the Tap, can't be faulted.
anonymous - 25 Jan 2005 14:31 |
Beer is definitely pricy but normally in good nick.
anonymous - 19 Jan 2005 19:43 |
Splendidly traditional pub, another must on any Brentford crawl. The London Pride was pricey at � 2.58p - presumably this is a tenanted pub - but was on good form.
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This is a gem, and the people behind the bar are extremely nice. The beer is the best you will ever find, the complete range of Fullers. I've never run accross a brass band there before, but it sounds rather a good idea!
anonymous - 15 Dec 2004 16:56 |
The Tap is a very friendly 'village' pub, and the best in the area. The live music is not to everyone's taste, but is still worth experiencing. As is the food and superbly kept real ales.
Alan - 9 Oct 2004 11:02 |
Being a regular of this pub (and I don't even live in the area), I wish to say that I find the barstaff to be very efficient as well as entertaining and generally a good laugh. The only reason that I can think of that would cause one of them to be abusive is if someone was rude to them first. As for the music; they don't do brass bands!!! It was probably one of the two very good jazz bands that they have twice a week. There's not enough live music in pubs these days and I for one rather like it. The Brewery Tap is a nice, unspoilt traditional pub with friendly regulars and a good choice of live music, sport on the TV and good beer.
andrew - 8 Oct 2004 12:55 |
What a dump. A brass band turned up to play which was fine if you like that sort of stuff, so me and my mate finished our game of pool, downed our drinks and had the decency to go up and put them on the bar and we do we get- a mouthful of abuse from the barmaid!
Gary - 7 Oct 2004 13:16 |
This is a nice quiet local pub with a great atmosphere and plenty of live entertainment (ranging from live music to quiz evenings). It has friendly bar staff, delicious food, great beer, wonderful owners, a friendly dog and delightful customers. It is good for couples and large groups (no more than 50)!!!
Although slightly hidden it is well worth finding.
Andrew - 8 Jan 2004 02:14 |
Friendly and cosy local. An excellent pub with live music, quiz evenings and more nightly entertainment than the London Palladium back in its sixties heyday. Hidden away down a dimly lit Brentford backstreet and tucked in by the leafy canal, it is well worth climbing over the burnt out cars, supermarket trolleys, dead dogs and piles of rubble to reach.
Agnes - 20 May 2003 17:27 |
